Dojo's protege
by becky11
Summary: Dojo and Kasahara are cautiously giving in to their budding romance when Kasahara finds herself in danger and Dojo finds out he can't always protect Kasahara, or can he?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter1: Lunch Pains

The day after the Kanto Library Force Base thwarted a particularly harsh raid from the MBF, several staff members were still in the hospital and unable to return to work, leaving the members of the Task Force to deal with the paperwork.

Komaki, Dojo, Tezuka, and Kasahara had been sitting in the same office since 08:30 that morning filling out and filing paperwork that went with injured members, damage to books, furniture and other possessions of the Library, legal dealings with the government nationwide and locally, and more, as well as their regular paperwork.

Iku Kasahara's stomach had started rumbling an hour earlier and had grown steadily louder since then even though it was only 11:15. Instructor Dojo had praised Iku for her bravery and good performance the day before so she refused to complain now for fear he would take it all back, but she couldn't help a small groan escaping her lips as she pressed her hand tightly against her empty stomach. Tezuka ignored the noise with a grim look on his face but Komaki turned to her with a friendly smile, "Kasahara, why don't you go for an early lunch, you sound like you could use it."

Blushing Iku supressed her hunger "Thank you instructor Komaki, but I'm fine, I can wait till lunchtime". Right on cue her stomach gave its loudest rumble yet and Komaki chuckled into his hand. Iku moaned again as she turned back to her work, looking at the next question on the form in front of her and consulting a list of office supplies on her desk. Suddenly Dojo stood up and walked briskly towards her, dragging Iku off of her chair by her arm and disclaiming loudly: "Stop being so stubborn, you're distracting all of us and getting nothing done yourself. I'll force feed you if I have to but stop that noise!"

They stormed out of the office and into the hallway that led downstairs and to the cafeteria, halfway down Dojo's grip on Iku's arm loosened and his hand shifted naturally to her hand, though her seemed not to notice. In her perplexity Iku blushed a little but kept pace with her instructor, hoping this moment would never end. At that exact moment her stomach rumbled again, inviting a look from Dojo who noticed their hands clasped together and instantly pulled his hand away. He was in a bad mood again and she dreaded having to be alone with him for lunch.

As was to be expected this early in the day the cafeteria was empty except for a few people having late morning coffee and watching the news. Iku gritted her teeth all through getting food and finding a table and began eating quickly so she could get this over with and back to the protection of Komaki and Tezuka.

"Are you alright Kasahara?" Iku looked up , Dojo was watching her with a concerned look, "I know you got hit hard in the ribs with a riot shield yesterday, did any ribs get broken or did you get bruised bad? Are you in pain?"

The kindness in Dojo's eyes startled Iku and for a moment she forgot all about the piece of fish that was halfway towards her mouth and dropped it from between her chopsticks without noticing. Blushing slightly she replied quietly "I didn't think you'd noticed that, sir. I'm a bit bruised but nothing serious, I can move without too much pain. I just wish others had been as lucky."

"You weren't lucky Kashara, you were being smart and you're tougher than most, give yourself credit where its due!".

Dojo patted Iku on the head and smiled a rare smile before turning back to his lunch. It was then that Iku noticed the piece of fish that had fallen into her lap and left a dark soy sauce stain on her uniform. She ducked under the table and tried to clean the stain up with her napkin so Dojo wouldn't notice, but Dojo looked under the table questioningly, "what are you doing?" In an attempt to distract him she put her hands over the stain and shook her head, trying to sit back up but banging the top of her head on the bottom of the table. she grabbed her head, feeling a bump beginning to rise up already and heard Dojo sigh. Iku realized too late that she had not only revealed the stain, but made the situation worse by drawing so much attention to it. "You're a mess Kasahara, you can't even eat lunch without knocking something over or hurting yourself. You should be more careful! Go change into a new uniform after lunch before we go back to the office I'll wait for you in the communal area so Komaki and Tezuka don't notice you're prolonged absence."

"Yes, sir" Iku replied in a small voice. She shovelled the rest of her food into her mouth in just a few bites, embarrassed about her clumsiness and eager to get away from this terrible scene. It was moments like these when she hated her clumsiness the most, and they always seemed to happen when Dojo was around to witness it. As soon as her plate was empty she dashed out of the cafeteria and towards the room she shared with Shibazaki without saying another word.


	2. Chapter 2: A shoulder to cry on

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library Wars or any of the characters; this story line is my own based on the manga, the anime series and movie.

When Iku got to her own and Shibisaki's room she slammed the door behind her and quickly found a clean pair of pants to change into, almost tripping over her own legs as she did so. Her mind blank and still in escape mode she ran back out into the hallway but halfway back to the communal area she slowed down and stopped, shaking with embarrassment and clenching her fists in frustration. She sank down on the floor, her back against the wall and pulled her knees up to her chin. Hugging her knees tightly she bowed her head and cried, couldn't she have even one good day with Dojo without messing it up? How was he ever going to stop being angry with her and respect her properly if she couldn't even do a single thing right. He must hate her so much for her clumsiness, the way she acted without thinking, always making him angry, and him

having to clean up after her.

Thinking about her prince of so many years hating her broke Iku's heart and made it almost impossible for her to breathe. The pain and sadness were just about to overwhelm her when booted footsteps echoing down the hallway startled her out of her reverie. Iku dried her eyes with the back of her hand and was shocked to see Dojo stopping beside her and kneeling next to her, patting her on the head; what was he doing in the girls' dorm? How did he get in?

Dojo's smile was kind and genuine and his hand on her head calmed her down and instantly made her feel better. "What's wrong Iku?", he asked in a soft voice. She was too shocked by his use of her first name to think her answer through and her response blurted out of her, her eyes filling up with new tears as she spoke. "Why do you always have to be so angry with me instructor Dojo? I know I mess up a lot but I try really hard. I work just as hard as anyone else on the Task Force but it feels like you don't even see it, like you're only ever mad at me and I don't know why. It's not fair!"

She wanted to go on but the tears were choking her and not wanting him to see her cry – which she knew was ridiculous as she couldn't possibly hide it at this point, and she had cried in front of him on multiple occasions anyway – she put her face back in her arms, hidden against her knees, and her whole body shook with her deep sobs. Hard as she tried, she couldn't pull herself back together.

Dojo sat beside her and looked at his protégé in horror, he knew he'd been rough on her, had pushed her to her limits on purpose, but he had never meant to be mean or to hurt her like this. He had pushed her as hard as he could to make her stronger and to let her grow as much as she could in as little time as possible so that she'd be ready for any event.

A wave of guilt and sorrow about bringing Iku down like this washed over Dojo and he bit back the emotions welling up in his chest as he pulled the crying girl into his arms and leaned her head against his shoulder. She froze up for half a second but as his hand soothingly stroked her hair she wrapped her arms around him and let it all out until she was out of tears and felt calm again. When she pulled away from her instructor she noticed the front of his shirt had gotten quite wet with her tears and she tried to apologize but, getting back up, Dojo waved her efforts away "don't worry about it, as long as you're feeling better. Are you ready to get back to work?"

Iku nodded and took Dojo's offered hand, smiling as she got pulled to her feet. Dojo turned around and started walking back down the hallway towards the communal area, seemingly unaware that their hands were still clasped together.

They got through the communal area without being seen together and made it back to the office without a fuss and it was only when the office door came in sight that their hands slipped apart.

When Iku and Dojo entered the office Komaki smiled knowingly, leaving Tezuka with a confused look on his face, "You guys sure took your time, did you take Kasahara anywhere nice for lunch Dojo?"

Dojo blushed at his friend's jape and his usual scowl came back to his face, "Kasahara was slow, you know how she is". Tezkua looked more confused than ever "But sir, she's almost as fast an eater as she is a runner". Komaki, no longer able to hide his amusement, laughed out loud at Dojo's and Kasahara's red faces as his coworkers went back to their desks to get back to work. Sitting down next to his friend Komaki, having noticed the wet spot on Dojo's shirt, whispered quietly enough that Tezuka and Kasahara wouldn't overhear "acting the gentleman again, Mr. Prince?" Dojo rubbed at his shirt, ineffectively trying to dry it and mumbled "I don't know what you're talking about". Komaki chuckled but let up and after a few minutes the office was once again silent but for the sound of scribbling pens on paper and stacks of papers being shuffled around the four desks.


	3. Chapter 3: A whispered promise

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library Wars or any of the characters; this story line is my own based on the manga, the anime series and movie.

Two hours after Dojo and Kasahara came back from lunch Komaki stretched and stood up "That's enough for now, I'm taking a lunch break." He walked over to the other side of the room and put a hand on Tezuka's shoulder, "come on Tezuka, you've worked hard, take a break". Once both men had left the office Iku shot a quick look over her shoulder at Dojo, but he was focused on his work so she turned back towards the work in front of her and tried to regain her focus. After a few minutes she realized the pen scratching on the other side of the room had fallen still and she risked another look over her shoulder.

Dojo had also lost his concentration and had been staring quite openly at Iku's back for about a minute, hoping she was alright and pondering their moment together in the hallway. Although he had mainly been concerned with cheering her back up and making sure she was alright, a shot like electricity had gone through his whole body when she had leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

While they had sat there she had fit so perfectly into his arms that he now found himself distracted and was unable to turn his mind back to work. When their eyes met he barked at her to get back to work, instantly regretting his reaction. It had become such a habit of his to yell at Iku, whether it was warranted or not and when she had just expressed such sadness at being yelled at by him all the time, this was not a good time to bark out a rough command when she hadn't done anything wrong.

Iku let out a small "eep" and had turned back towards her own desk, scribbling furiously – he hoped she was writing something actually work related and not ruining a form she would later have to re-do – and didn't hear Dojo get up. He walked over to her desk and patted her head, knowing she didn't like him apologizing much he thought for a few seconds about what to say and settled on "good work Kasahara, keep it up". He noticed her neck and ears turning red as she blushed and stammered out "thank you, sir".

Dojo chuckled and walked away towards the coffee station against the far wall of the office. Pouring two cups he walked back, putting his own cup on his desk before taking the second cup to Iku, he put it in front of her before turning her chair around so she was facing him. Unsure of how close her face was to his own he suddenly got nervous, which always brought an involuntary scowl on his face. He must have been looking furious because the look on Iku's face was one close to terror, "I'm sorry sir," she stammered, "I'm not exactly sure what for, but I'm sorry!"

His eyes softened and a small smile played around his lips "you blockhead, why are you sorry if you haven't done anything wrong?".

Seeming not to notice that he wasn't looking angry anymore Iku's eyes were getting watery and she blushed as she stammered in a small voice "than why are you angry sir? You look like you want to murder me, what have I done?".

Seeing her eyes get all wet Dojo put his hand on Iku's head without thinking, fluffing her hair when she was sad was becoming an automatic reaction, but he stopped himself in mid-action and shifted his hand to the back of her head and pulled her towards him until their foreheads were touching. A fierce blush crept up Iku's cheeks to cover her whole face, but she didn't pull back and didn't break eye contact. Her huge eyes stared into his, frozen, like a deer in the headlights.

"Don't be so quick to apologize when there is no need, don't apologize for what you believe to be right. You have good instincts Iku, and you're an honest person, have faith in that!"

"Oh,.. um,… y-yes s-sir".

Suddenly Dojo bent forward and held Iku in a one armed embrace, leaning on the arm of her chair with his other hand for support, he cradled the nape of neck in his hand, sliding his fingers through her short blonde hair and whispered a promise in her ear that he had made in his heart a long time ago "I'll never leave your side, I'll always be here for you to protect you from anything, even when you don't need it".

She leaned her forehead against his shoulder and mumbled a reply, but the words got lost in the folds of his uniform and reluctant though he was to disturb the perfect moment he asked "sorry, I didn't catch that?" she chuckled slightly and turning her face so it pressed into his neck and freeing her mouth she repeated "I'll stay by you forever too sir, whatever it takes. And I'll learn how to aim properly so I can protect you even during a raid."

Dojo laughed at that and promised to help her practice, and for the first time that day he saw Iku smile brilliantly without even a single trace of tears or worry in her eyes. She turned her face up at him, her eyes sparkling and a light blush still colouring her cheeks, "Thanks Dojo".

Their faces were closer together than ever, he could smell the chamomile tea she had had with lunch on her breath and he marvelled at how big and beautiful her eyes were (something he usually tried hard not to notice) and how relaxed she was.

Usually being this close to anybody got Iku on edge but she seemed to trust him completely as she relaxed in his embrace and he brought his face down and pressed his lips against hers. He'd been pretending for some time now that he had no desire to know how soft her lips really were and how warm her embrace was. He felt her fingers lace through his own and she gave his hand a squeeze, he squeezed her back and pulled away from her.

Iku lowered her gaze, smiling brilliantly but clearly unsure of how to act or how to come to terms with this new turn of events. He wasn't entirely sure he knew himself, but he would not take this moment back for anything and with one last pat on her head he turned back towards his own desk and went back to work, hearing Iku turn her chair around behind him and turning back towards her own piles of paperwork.

It was some time before either of them actually got any work done but by the time Komaki and Tezuka returned the air in the room was calm and quiet and the piles of work had reduced significantly in size.


	4. Chapter 4: A hard day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library Wars or any of the characters; this story line is my own based on the manga, the anime series and movie.

Chapter 4: a hard day's work

Tezuka looked bemused when he and Komaki entered the office after lunch, he had been certain Kashara and Dojo would be in the middle of a fight as they usually were or at least glaring at each other. Instead the atmosphere was calm and professional and even Kasahara seemed to be working hard. He sat down at his desk next to hers and after a few seconds leaned closer to her and whispered "are you alright?"

Iku looked questioningly at Tezuka, "sure, why wouldn't I be?". Tezuka shrugged, "I'm not used to you not fighting with Dojo and actually working". The familiar glare was back in Iku's face and Tezuka let a small sigh of relief escape him, good, she was still herself and nothing seemed to have happened.

On the other side of the office Komaki slapped Dojo on the shoulder "somebody sure is in a good mood, what did you do? "Dojo blushed and tried scowling at his friend but the smile on his face kept breaking through, "nothing happened,… b-but look at the pile of paperwork she finished. After all the problems we've had with Kasahara and deskwork I'm just happy she's getting so much done today. It makes me proud as her superior officer that she's finally learning."

Komaki chuckled, "It's true that that would make any superior officer happy, but are you sure that's all it is. Tezuka always works hard but I never see you smile like that when he does good". Dojo frowned at the comparison and shook his head "it's not fair to compare Kasahara to Tezuka, he's amazing at everything he does, he's an exceptional worker, so when he does good it's nothing special. I realize that may not be entirely fair to him but I do tell him his work is appreciated."

Komaki smiled, and to Dojo's relief, dropped the subject for the time being. The four of them settled back into work mode and for most of the afternoon time was passed in silence.

Each team member got up occasionally to grab books or folders for reference or to grab a cup of coffee from the machine, the only other distraction came from support staff members coming in with fresh (and increasingly smaller) stacks of paperwork and removing finished work.

All four members of the team skipped their second break so they could get more done and by the end of the day only a few odds and ends were left; work that could be finished in the morning before their regular duties. Kasahara was yawning so widely her jaw cracked and even Tezuka was slumped in his chair, staring blearily at the form in front of him, his pen suspended in the air without moving.

Dojo looked up at the silence coming from his rookies' corner of the office and noticed the state they were in. Checking the clock on the wall he cleared his throat, "Tezuka, Kasahara, you've worked enough for one day. Put your work away and go get some food. We can finish the remaining work tomorrow after the morning run. Go and relax for tonight".

To his surprise neither of his rookies argued but tidied their desks and stood up, the exhaustion visible on them both. He was expecting both of them to argue, Tezuka because he always wanted to push himself and get his work done, and Kasahara because she always argued (and wouldn't want to be outdone by Tezuka), but even though they were both comfortable running, climbing, and crawling with 20 plus pounds of gear on them any time of the day or night, sitting still at a desk working away at paperwork was something they hadn't had to do for such an extensive period of time before. Dojo and Komaki were used to it by now, it was something that happened after every major raid, but they had both forgotten how hard It had been their first few times. When they got to the office door Tezuka and Kasahara both turned around looking back at Komaki and Dojo who were still working away. Komaki looked up at their hesitant faces and smiled, "Dojo and I will be working a little longer, we're more used to it so we can keep going a little while longer. After a few more raids you two will be more used to this as well and it won't be so hard anymore. Go on, get some dinner and some rest, we'll see you in the morning".

Tezuka was about to argue and go back in, but Kasahara grabbed his arm and dragged him away, "good night sirs!". With the door closed behind them they both breathed deep and slumped against the opposite wall, "I thought that was never gonna end" sighed Iku. To her surprise Tezuka only nodded in agreement, "ain't that the truth!" he looked up at Iku, "want to share a table with me over dinner?"

"uhhh,…" Iku froze, this was not what she had been expecting, "sure,… I guess,…. But what happened to you not liking me and avoiding me?" Tezuka shrugged, "you impressed me today. When Komaki and I came back from lunch I was sure we'd catch you and Dojo in the middle of a fight, or to find the room tense and looking like a battlefield. Instead you had actually gotten a lot of work done. It is well known that desk work is not one of your strengths but you worked hard anyway and really pulled your weight today. I'm always quick to criticize you when you're lazy or clumsy, I thought I should show my respect today,… and,…" he looked away from her face, focusing somewhere on the wall above her head, "you're actually nice and fun to hang out with when you're not arguing".

Iku, who had been feeling on top of the world – being praised by Dojo AND Tezuka in one day, it was unheard of! – scowled at Tezuka's finishing remark. "Geez, you really know how to compliment a girl Tezuka! Fine, we can eat together, let's go!" Tezuka smiled and shook his head lightly as Iku marched angrily ahead of him towards the cafeteria, carefully wiping his face blank as he caught up with her. By the time they grabbed their plates and sat down the air had cleared again and they focused on dinner, tired but satisfied with the day's events.


	5. Chapter5: the 5 òclock news with Tezuka

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Library Wars or any of the characters; this story line is my own based on the manga, the anime series and movie.

Chapter 5: The 5 o'clock news with Tezuka

When Tezuka and Kasahara arrived at the cafeteria the news was on all the television sets, scenes from the raid the day before were flashing by on every screen. In and of itself this wasn't anything new, but what made this newscast stand out was that in bold letters at the bottom of the screen it mentioned that the amount of casualties on the LDF side were – as usual – much higher than on the MBF side. Normally only MBF casualties were reported and LDF casualties were hushed up and not even pursued in private let alone on public television.

The newscast, that usually went on for only a minute to cover the bare essentials, continued while Kasahara and Tezuka grabbed trays of food and sat down at a table near the window. They shared a glance and focused back on the newscaster, this was unusual and though still subtle in tone, a big stand in support of the Library Forces. The newscast ended with the news anchor looking right at the camera as if into people's living rooms saying "it does not seem right that this fight is endlessly one sided, reported and publicly and politically supported mainly pro-MBC with little to no regard for the lives of the Library Forces who fight for what we are allowed to read and watch. They can't be the bad guys they are portrayed to be, fighting for our freedom the way they do!"

The statement was followed by a moment of awed silence while the soldiers and support staff held their breaths collectively before releasing in a loud and joyful cheer. This was amazing news, after all they'd been through finally somebody was seeing things their way and was brave enough to share that view with the public.

The newscast ended with a notice that the MBC had warned them about their improper airing of events and that the station would be closed the next day as punishment.

It was heavy blow for the station but for the Library Forces it showed how desperate the MBC were becoming; they seemed to have hoped the public would quietly follow their role and grow to resent the LDF and also that the LDF would grow weaker and give up when in fact the opposite was happening.

Kashara and Tezuka both stared at the screen in silence, their food forgotten for the moment. They looked at each other as if for confirmation, neither of them quite sure that what they had just heard had really happened, the cheers around them seemed dimmed, as if they were coming from the other side of a glass smiled cautiously, and even Tezuka let the corners of his mouth curl up, something Kasahara had not remembered ever seeing before. Seeing the – for him – radical change in her coworker her cautious smile burst into a wide grin and they lifted their glasses in cheers and ate their dinner happily. The conversation started a little awkwardly but after a little while they were chatting away happily about the possible consequences of the newscast.

When dinner was over Tezuka looked at his empty coffee cup with a slight frown and said "we should celebrate this news tonight, our whole team, Shibazaki too since she's practically a part of our team. There's a nice bar downtown where we can have privacy for a small group like ours with good drinks and it's close to the base so we can get back before curfew."

Iku nodded, "I'll tell Shibazaki when I get back to the room. Should we meet there in an hour?"

Tezuka thought for a second, "I'll text Dojo and Komaki, see if they're done work yet, we'll meet at the base entrance in an hour, which will give them enough time either way".

Iku was about to walk out of the cafeteria but turned back to Tezuka, "thanks for dinner. That was actually enjoyable, you're more fun as a friend than I would have thought."

Tezuka seemed confused as to how to react to that and just shrugged, "I'll see you in an hour, don't be late".

Back in her own room Shibazaki was sitting in front of the tv, drinking tea. She looked up when Iku walked into their room and smiled at her friend, "welcome back Kasahara, did you see the news yet?" Iku smiled back, "yes, isn't it awesome? Tezuka was saying we should celebrate he'll meet us in an hour at the base entrance with instructors Dojo and Komaki." Shibazaki smiled a mischievous smile and leaned forward towards Iku, her chin resting on her hand "Are you sure you want me to come too if Dojo is gonna be there?"

Iku froze and stood still for a second, her thoughts moving sluggishly through her brain, memories of earlier that day; lunch with Dojo and him comforting her afterwards, his kind words in the office and the surprise kiss he had given her,…. But after that he had practically ignored her and she wasn't sure how to feel about any of it at all. A blush spread over her face and she turned away from Shibazaki, pretending to be going through her wardrobe to figure out what to wear, "I don't know what you're talking about Shibazaki, of course I want you there tonight!"

As Shibazaki laughed behind her Iku pulled a pair of jeans and a soft sweater out of the closet to wear that night. Shibazaki got up and stood beside her friend, "you're not wearing that are you? This is the first time we've gone out for drinks with the team, we should dress nice, give them something to remember. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Iku pouted and grabbed the sweater defensively, "this is nice Shibazaki!" Her roommate laughed again and grabbed a short, soft pink dress from her closet and a short, long-sleeved sweater to go with it. She picked a pair of heels from the closet floor and laid the outfit on her bed. She then grabbed a short skirt and a tightly fitting silky shirt as well and handed them to Iku, "wear this instead."

Grabbing the skirt and shirt from Shibazaki's outstretched hands Iku looked at herself in the mirror, holding the skirt in front of her. It seemed very, very short and again she blushed but Shibazaki wouldn't take no for an answer and so they showed up that night at the base entrance both rocking short, girly clothes (though Iku refrained from wearing heels as she felt uncomfortable in them) and make-up to find the men in their group already waiting.

Komaki was the first to notice them and waved happily at them, Tezuka and Dojo turned around and stayed suspiciously quiet. "Sorry to keep you boys waiting" chirped Shibazaki, but Iku couldn't help herself and went into a deep bow, "sorry for being late, sir!" She felt her skirt riding up dangerously high in the end and Shibazaki smacked her lightly on the arm, and whispered at her friend "don't forget what you're wearing!". Iku blushed and stood straight, hanging her head to hide behind her hair. Dojo turned around, his face unreadable, "let's go!". Komaki chuckled, "Don't worry, we weren't waiting long. You girls look great!" Shibazaki smiled and winked at her friend, "see?" and with that they followed Komaki and the guys out towards the bar Tezuka had spoken of.


End file.
